Sex Differences in COVID-19 Outcomes.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the cause of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. Since then, it has caused a worldwide pandemic with over six million deaths. Many studies have been published on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but only a few have compared the outcomes of COVID-19 between males and females, especially in African countries and the Middle East. Studies published to date on this topic report that male patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have worse outcomes than females. This study aimed to compare sex differences in COVID-19 outcomes in a tertiary care hospital in Casablanca (Morocco). Methodology We included all adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in Cheikh Khalifa Hospital. We categorized patients according to gender and analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of each group. Results In total, 134 patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 were admitted during the study period. These included 72 (53.7%) men and 62 (46.4%) women. The median age of the patients was 53 years (interquartile range, IQR = 36-64). Men were significantly older than women (58 vs. 44) but there was no significant difference in comorbidities on comparing men and women. Values of median C-reactive protein (35 vs. 4), ferritin (326 vs. 72), and lactate dehydrogenase (264 vs. 208) were significantly higher in men. Lymphopenia was significantly more important in men (1.2 vs. 1.7), and the ratio of neutrophil/lymphocytes was significantly higher in men (3.37 vs. 1.84). Men had greater disease severity, with significantly higher intensive care unit admission (48.6% vs. 16.1%) and higher hospital mortality (18.1% vs. 1.6%). Conclusions COVID-19 gender disparities may be due to sex differences in the inflammatory response. These can be explained by the role of sex hormones and sex chromosomes on immune cells and their regulatory genes.

Acute Bilateral Renal Infarction: An Unusual Complication After Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery.

Bilateral renal infarction is an uncommon clinical condition that is frequently misdiagnosed. Its various mechanisms mainly include thrombotic and embolic. We report the case of a 51-year-old Moroccan woman, who presented with acute bilateral renal infarction three days following mitral valve replacement surgery of probable embolic origin despite curative heparin. Her renal function did not improve, and the patient developed chronic renal failure. Diagnosing bilateral renal infarction is challenging, especially in the postoperative period of mechanical mitral valve replacement surgery. Curative heparin therapy does not totally protect (100%) against this serious complication. This case study aimed to raise awareness of this rare clinical condition after cardiac surgery.

Transanal total mesorectal excision for patients with rectal cancer : a Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is a new technique that is designed to overcome the limits encountered during laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) for rectal cancer, especially in male, obese patients with a narrow pelvis and mid and low rectal tumours. AIM: The objective of our meta-analysis is to evaluate short-term oncological and perioperative outcomes of transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) compared to laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) for rectal cancer. METHODS: A meta-analysis based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed). All original studies published in English that compared TaTME with laTME were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the Newcastle- Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) and Cochrane Library Handbook 5.1.0. Data analysis was conducted using the Review Manager 5.3 software. RESULTS: Twelve studies including 835 TaTME patients and 1707 LaTME patients with rectal cancer met the inclusion criteria in this meta-analysis. No statistical significant differences were observed in regard to positive circumferential resection margin (PCRM), positive distal resection margin (PDRM), macroscopic quality of mesorectum (MQM) and harvested lymph nodes (HLN). Concerning the perioperative outcomes, the results of conversion rates, operative time, hospital stay (HS), anastomotic leakage (AL) and postoperative complications were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis provides that TaTME may be a valid alternative approach for the treatment of rectal cancer in comparison with LaTME.

Hematological and biochemical abnormalities associated with severe forms of COVID-19: A retrospective single-center study from Morocco.

Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has catapulted the world into a marked health crisis, with over 29 million cases and >930,000 deaths. To better detect affected individuals at an early stage and stop disease progression to an advanced stage, several studies have been conducted to identify the clinical, biological, and radiological characteristics of COVID-19. This study aimed to enrich the literature by critically analyzing the clinical and biological characteristics of 134 patients from the North African Mediterranean region, including numerous genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that may influence disease evolution. This single-center retrospective study included all patients older than 18 years confirmed to have COVID-19 and hospitalized at the Cheikh Khalifa University Hospital affiliated with Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences, Casablanca, Morocco. Clinical, demographic, and biological data were analyzed in a cohort of severe and non-severe patients. Univariate analysis was performed to identify factors predictive of severity. There were 134 patients: the median age was 53 years, and 54.5% were male. Of these, 89 had mild to moderate disease; 45 had severe to critical disease, of which 14 died and 31 survived. Advanced age, presence of comorbidities, male sex, and infection in ethnic or family groups were risk factors for progression to severe disease. The presence of abnormalities in the following parameters were strongly associated with progression to severe disease: white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, lymphocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, D-dimers, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ferritin, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) during both admission and hospitalization. Based on these results and an extensive literature review, we recommend that clinicians closely monitor the biological parameters identified herein and perform immunological and genetic studies.

Predictors of Severity in Covid-19 Patients in Casablanca, Morocco.

Background Morocco was affected, as were other countries, by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many risk factors of COVID-19 severity have been described, but data on infected patients in North Africa are limited. We aimed to explore the predictive factors of disease severity in COVID-19 patients in a tertiary hospital in Casablanca. Methods In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, we included all adult patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, admitted to Sheikh Khalifa International University Hospital in Casablanca between March 18 and May 20, 2020. Patients were separated into two groups: Non-severe patients were those with mild or moderate forms of COVID-19, and severe patients were those admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) who had one of the following signs-respiratory rate > 30 breaths/min; oxygen saturation < 93% on room air; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); or required mechanical ventilation. Demographic, clinical, laboratory data, and outcomes were reviewed. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression to explore predictive factors of severity. Results We reported 134 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The median age was 53 years (interquartile range [IQR], 36-64), and 73 (54.5%) were men. Eighty-nine non-severe patients (66.4%) were admitted to single bedrooms, and 45 (33.6%) were placed in the ICU. The median time from illness onset to hospital admission was seven days (IQR, 3.0-7.2). Ninety-nine patients (74%) were admitted directly to the hospital, and 35 (26%) were transferred from other structures. Also, 68 patients (65.4%) were infected in clusters. Of the 134 patients, 61 (45.5%) had comorbidities, such as hypertension (n = 36; 26.9%), diabetes (n = 19; 14.2%), and coronary heart disease (n = 16; 11.9%). The most frequent symptoms were fever (n = 61; 45.5%), dry cough (n = 59; 44%), and dyspnea (n = 39; 29%). A total of 127 patients received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (95%). Eleven critical cases received lopinavir/ritonavir (8.2%). Five patients received tocilizumab (3.7%). We reported 13 ARDS cases in ICU patients (29%), eight with acute kidney injury (17.8%), and four thromboembolic events (8.8%). Fourteen ICU patients (31.1%) died at 28 days. In univariable analysis, older men with one or more comorbidities, infection in a cluster, chest scan with the COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) 5, lymphopenia, high rates of ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, and lactate dehydrogenase were associated with severe forms of COVID-19. Multivariable logistic regression model founded increasing odds of severity associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.09, P = .0039), men (OR 3.19, CI 1.06-9.60, P = .016), one or more comorbidities (OR 4.36, CI 1.32-14.45, P = .016), CRP > 10 mg/L (OR 5.47, CI 1.57-19.10, P = .008), and lymphopenia lower than 0.8 x109/L (OR 6.65, CI 1.43-30.92, P = .016). Conclusions Clinicians should consider older male patients with comorbidities, lymphopenia, and a high CRP rate as factors to predict severe forms of COVID-19 earlier. The higher severity of infected patients in clusters must be confirmed by epidemiological and genetic studies.